DNA Damage

How many times does the DNA in one of your cells get damaged per day?

• Once or twice

• Millions of times

• Hundreds of times

• Tens of thousands of times

What is the estimated number of DNA errors every day across all cells?

• A quintillion

• A trillion

• A billion

• A million

What serious problem can DNA damage cause?

• Common cold

• Cancer

• Headache

• Muscle pain

What is one common error during DNA replication?

• Complete DNA strand duplication

• Base mismatches

• Protein overproduction

• Instant cell death

Which enzyme is responsible for bringing in the right partner to pair with every base during DNA replication?

• RNA polymerase

• Ligase

• DNA polymerase

• Helicase

What process fixes base mismatches after DNA polymerase makes a mistake?

• Mismatch repair

• Base excision repair

• Non-homologous end joining

• Nucleotide excision repair

What kind of damage can UV light cause to DNA?

• Complete DNA strand duplication

• Instant cell death

• Two adjacent nucleotides sticking together

• Base mismatches

Which repair pathway is used for double strand breaks when a template is available?

• Homologous recombination

• Mismatch repair

• Base excision repair

• Non-homologous end joining

What can defects in DNA repair lead to?

• Enhanced memory

• Improved vision

• Premature aging and many kinds of cancer

• Increased muscle mass